09 December 2023 , 16:58
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Manchester United welcomed Bournemouth to Old Trafford on Saturday hoping to build on an impressive win over Chelsea, but instead were thrashed 3-0 by an excellent Cherries side.
Dominic Solanke, Philip Billing and Marcos Senesi were all on target for Andoni Iraola's side, with the result piling the pressure back on United boss Erik ten Hag. The Red Devils started the game just three points off rivals Manchester City, but immediately got off to a nightmare start as Solanke punished some poor play after just five minutes.
A disappointing pass from Bruno Fernandes was intercepted by Lewis Cook, who burst forward and crossed the ball to Solanke who made no mistake. Marcus Tavernier then had a goal ruled out for offside, before Solanke rattled the post shortly before half-time.
Following the introduction of Rasmus Hojlund in the second-half, United looked more dangerous going forward but failed to take their chances and were ruthlessly punished by Bournemouth. Billing headed home their second goal of the game in the 68th minute, before Senesi wrapped things up five minutes later with a header from a corner.
Here are the talking points from Old Trafford...
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1. Solanke's dream start
Having failed to make much of an impact when he initially joined Bournemouth as a 21-year-old in 2019, Solanke now looks every inch a Premier League striker.
He struck 29 league goals when Bournemouth got promoted from the Championship in 2022, but only managed six top-flight goals last season. However, he has been in excellent form so far this season and his goal against United was his eighth strike in 16 games.
Only Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Jarrod Bowen and Son Heung-Min have scored more than Solanke, who signed a new long-term deal with Bournemouth in September, and if he can continue his good form a spot in England's Euro 2024 squad could be on the cards.
Dominic Solanke was excellent for Bournemouth (AP Photo/Jon Super)2. Martial disappoints again
In a surprising move, Ten Hag chose Anthony Martial to lead the line ahead of Hojlund despite his lacklustre performances so far this season.
With Hojlund seemingly rested ahead of United's must-win Champions League game against Bayern Munich on Tuesday, Ten Hag said he wanted to give Martial an opportunity to impress and warned ahead of the game that he "has to prove it today".
However, he offered very little going forward, particularly when compared with opposite number Solanke. He had just one tame effort on goal all game and was unsurprisingly the first player taken off as Hojlund replaced him in the 55th minute.
Anthony Martial disappointed once again (OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)3. Damning Old Trafford stat
Solanke's opener meant United have now conceded first at home in six league games so far this season.
Only bottom of the league Sheffield United have a worse record than Ten Hag's side and it is clearly a problem the Dutchman needs to address, particularly given United's lack of goal threat. In total, they have only scored 18 league goals and have a negative goal difference.
In fact, the only time United had a worse record in front of goal was 31 years ago when they only managed to score 14 goals in their first 15 league games. It is no wonder attacking reinforcements are reportedly on the agenda for January.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is under increasing pressure (OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)4. Major Fernandes blow
Having been at fault for Bournemouth's opener with a poor pass, things went from bad to worse for United's skipper when he was shown a yellow card late in the second-half.
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Fernandes was booked for dissent after repeatedly complaining to the referee and the yellow card means he will now be suspended for United's next league game - a trip to arch rivals Liverpool next Sunday.
Bruno Fernandes ranting and frothing at the mouth but the referee Peter Bankes not taking any nonsense, that's the way it should be," former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "You can understand the frustration but maybe he should be angry at himself. Maybe he is angry at himself because some of him passing in the second half has been woeful."
Bruno Fernandes will now miss United's next league game against Liverpool (OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)5. Iraoloa masterclass
Bournemouth's decision to part ways with Gary O'Neil over the summer after he did a stellar job keeping them up certainly raised some eyebrows.
And when Iraola failed to win any of his first nine league games in charge, some were already writing off both Bournemouth and their new manager. However, after getting that all important first win over Burnley in October things have changed dramatically with Bournemouth picking up 16 points in their last six games.
Their performance against United was particularly impressive, with Iraola's tactics proving hugely effective. "Bournemouth's game plan is to defend in numbers, defend deep and then spring those attacks," Sutton added. "They've been very effective. It was a well-taken goal from Solanke but they look the bigger threat, they've sat in and they've countered to great effect."